22 months in South Pacific

Rod Baker served as a code operator during WWII

By Bev Reeves For the Reporter-Herald

Posted:
08/15/2011 11:22:34 PM MDT

Rod Baker displays some of the medals he received while serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. Most of his souvenirs and memorabilia have been passed on to a grandson, Douglas, who is serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. (Photo by Bev Reeves)

Rod Baker enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 1942, hoping to become a pilot. He wasn't accepted because he is colorblind, so he became a code operator.

"We went to a school in Greeley," he said, and after that he was transferred for more-advanced training in Morse code by the U.S. Signal Corps in Craig.

From there, the unit was sent to California where they were stationed on the campus of the University of California at Davis. "The Army," he explained, had taken over some of the buildings.

He shipped overseas in June 1943 aboard the SS Lurline that transported the group to Brisbane, Australia.

"It was a pleasure ship with 8,000 people on board. We were five decks down, and I was claustrophobic. I heard that the Marines on deck needed help, and I volunteered."

The men were on duty 24 hours a day, four hours on and four hours off.

From Brisbane, they sailed on a small military ship and landed at Wewak, a town on the island of New Guinea where the Japanese had prepared to attack Australia. The Japanese had deserted the site, so the ship headed north and sailed around the island, landing at Hollandia on the east coast of New Guinea where there was an airfield. Allied forces had taken this island from the Japanese in May 1944.

World War II veterans remembered

Editor's note: In this occasional series, the Reporter-Herald shares the stories of Loveland-area veterans of World War II. All stories are archived on www.reporterherald.com, in the roundup section found under the "Web extras" menu.

"This was a major base. It was a supply base and with the airfield, B-24 planes could land and take off and were used to bomb Japanese-held islands. Japan had a really large contingent of troops not too far from here," Baker said, adding, "We controlled the air and sea. Every morning the United States Air Force would fly down there, bomb and strafe, then come back to Hollandia."

In some areas, metal strips were laid out for the planes since this area of New Guinea can receive as much as 300 inches of rain a year. Most were fighter planes supporting bombers from other bases.

"We were always on the coast, establishing supply lines. Supplies always came in by ship," he said.

The island had a lot of tall grasses. Machetes had to be used to cut a path, and according to Baker, this vegetation is how the natives evaded the Japanese. The Japanese were afraid to leave their camp.

"The natives were extremely helpful -- really effective. They had been used and abused -- terrorized by the Japanese," he said. The American soldiers made friends with them.

An interesting side story that Baker related was about a planeload of American nurses that was forced to land inland. "The natives had never seen a white woman before. They would wet their finger and try to rub their faces to get the white off."

Baker spent 22 months overseas, about a year of that time at Hollandia. His unit sailed as far north as the Philippine Islands and was in Manila when the war ended.

"We were supposed to invade Japan," he said.

Instead, the war ended and the men waited at a camp for transportation back to the U.S. "There was not near enough shipping. I had plenty of points to be discharged, but no way to get home. It was a problem." He finally got home in January 1946, discharged with the rank of technical sergeant.

His wife, Bette, and their young son, Jeff, were waiting for him here in Loveland. "Her mother wouldn't have Christmas until I got home," he said. The couple eventually had two more sons, Michael and Todd, who still live in Loveland. Jeff lives in Dublin, Calif.

Baker was born Feb. 24, 1924, and grew up on a ranch in Sterling. When he completed his high school junior year, his parents sold the ranch to become a part of the Pawnee National Grasslands and moved to Loveland. He graduated from Loveland High School in May 1941.

His parents bought a 50-acre tract in the area of what is now West Eighth Street and Duffield Avenue, where they raised cherries and raspberries. His home stands on that property today.

After the war, Baker worked for Markley Motors. Bette worked for Hewlett-Packard until they both retired in 1987. They were married 68 years last December and enjoyed traveling in their motor home and spending time on property they own in Red Feathers until Bette's death in July 2011.

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